Keith Smith 🪴🔭💻
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fernleaf07.bsky.social
Keith Smith 🪴🔭💻
@fernleaf07.bsky.social
990 followers 300 following 760 posts
Fern enthusiast, occasional astronomer, writer of software that runs machines (firmware)

Fernleaf07.wordpress.com
https://www.youtube.com/@fernleaf07
Westport Astronomical Society
https://was-ct.org
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fernleaf07.bsky.social
Turtles on a log in the sun.

Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, Boothbay, Maine, USA

#turtles
Four turtles on a grey log in a pond. One smaller than the others. Four turtles on a grey log in a pond. One turtle smaller than the others.
October 18, 2025 at 11:11 PM
fernleaf07.bsky.social
I received many followers in the last few days, many even today! Thank you. I hope my posts, especially about ferns, will be worth your while.

A fern picture to close this post.

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Jurassic Gold alpine wood fern, Dryopteris wallichiana "Hollasic", a cultivar seen at the Costal Maine Botanical Garden, Boothbay, Maine, USA, October, 2025 Underside, showing sori pattern (where the spores are made). Jurassic Gold alpine wood fern, Dryopteris wallichiana "Hollasic", a cultivar seen at the Costal Maine Botanical Garden, Boothbay, Maine, USA, October, 2025
October 16, 2025 at 11:06 AM
fernleaf07.bsky.social
Saw witch-hazel flower at a Boothbay Land Trust property, Boothbay, Maine, USA, October 4, 2025
October 12, 2025 at 9:12 PM
fernleaf07.bsky.social
Here in Southern CT, USA, ground pine is common.

It can cover the under story.
Fragrance Trail, Fairfield Audubon, Fairfield, C, USA Dendrolycopodium obscurum A large colony. Close up of the stroboli that contained the spores that have been released. The pointed leaves are called microphylls. They contain one vein. The pattern of the microphylls and stroboli are characteristics for identifying the various species of clubmoss.
October 12, 2025 at 5:38 PM
fernleaf07.bsky.social
Fifth and last troll.

Birk.

Long of limb.

(sign is missing)
Birk's right elbow. Right leg in foreground. Birk is the only troll with a beard and no hair Birk's right foot and leg. Birk has big eyes. Hands down on the ground. Legs out to the side. Birk may have just sat down or is just getting up.
October 11, 2025 at 4:15 PM
fernleaf07.bsky.social
A fourth troll.

Lilja.
Lilja holds the scent of the FLOWERS of the tree Troll Etiquette - "Stay on the trails (to protect our fortest).","Please don't climb on Lilja's legs (she wants you to be safe.)", "Please do not collect any living things (including green leaves, moss, or lichens)." Lilja knows how important tree flowers are to the insects of the forest. When insects take the pollen and nectar, they also give back to the tree. With their help, pollen spreads, and the flowers become fruit. Inside all fruit is the seed that holds the next generation. Just last summer, Lilja came out of her hiding place. The youngest of the trolls, she's still just a child. She loves the colors and the scents of the flowers and when the bees and butterflies fly among the branches. Lilja is the youngest of the trolls. The wood has not yet all faded to grey. Lilja is posed as a baby sitting with legs forward arms out reaching. A smile and wide eyes shows Lilja is happy to see you. A more distant picture of Lilja showing hands and feet.
October 11, 2025 at 4:07 PM
fernleaf07.bsky.social
A third troll from Coastal Main Botanical Gardens

Soren.
Soren sticks up for the BRANCHES of the tree. Troll Etiquette - "Stay on the trails (to protect our forests).", "Please don't climb on Soren (she wants you to be safe).", "Please don't collect any living thing (including green leaves, moss, and lichen)." Braches are alive Soren can see that up in the branches there is a whole other world. Many animals call the treetop home. Insects are eating and growing; birds and animals making their nests and feeding their babies. Some lichens, plants, and fungi can only live in the trees. Soren is a very curious troll; his head is always turning and twisting, searching for places even higher. He dreams about drifting around on a cloud in the sky, and when the wind is blowing, he loves to celebrate with a dance. Soren is sitting with arms straight up, one leg up and balancing on the other leg. Hair is spiky and unkempt. A big smile. Soren is happy. A more complete view of the happy troll.
October 11, 2025 at 2:08 PM
fernleaf07.bsky.social
Braken fern, Pteridium aquilinum

Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, October 2025

#fern #ferns
The under side of one of the three parts of the frond. The edges of pinna look burned. They are brown all around the edge. This edge is solid spores. The spores are naked. No indusium or false indusium. Bracken spores do not appear often. It needs specific environment to put out spores. Typically direct sun, or mostly sunny is required.
October 11, 2025 at 12:55 PM
fernleaf07.bsky.social
Another troll from Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens.

Gro.
Gro smiles with the LEAVES of the tree. Leaves turn sunlight into food. Troll Etiquette - "Stay on the trails (to protect our forest)", "Please do not climb past Gro's legs (she wants you to be safe)", "Please do not collect any living thing (including green leaves, moss, or lichen)" Most of us cannot eat sunlight, but GRO knows trees can - with their leaves. Leaves, in turn, become the building blocks of animal life: they feed caterpillars, can caterpillars feed birds, bears, and everything in-between. Using the sun, leaves make animal life on earth possible. Gro is the wanderer. Every fall she disappears, but the trolls are not worried because every spring she returns to the forest. On her return, Gro walks around to make sure every friend of hers is fed. After hurrying to catch a few sunbeams and a handful of raindrops, she creates a feast for the forest. Gro is sitting in a meditative pose. Legs crossed, arms out, palms up, eyes shut, mouth open in chant. Gro has a monkish look. No hair. Wood shingles create a tunic for Gro. Picture is taken from 3/4 front view. Gro seen face on. Hands are quiet large. Gro is surrounded by trees.
October 11, 2025 at 12:35 PM
fernleaf07.bsky.social
A great visit to Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens. Amazing weather for early October.

The trolls welcomed all.

Below is one of five trolls, Roskva.

The trolls were designed and installed, with the help of local workers, by Danish artist Thomas Dambo. He has installations all over the world.
The Roskva troll. A 30 foot wooden structure. All wood is recycled material. Grey. Weathered. Grasping a live tree in one hand. The other hand in the soil. The feet separated. Hair is spikey. The overall stance is a being walking through the woods. Plaque describing Roskva. "Roskva stands for the TRUNK of the tree" "A tree trunk has many lives" Troll Etiquette - "Stay on the trails (to protect our plants)", "Please do not climb on Roskva legs (she wants you to be safe)", "Please do not collect any living things (including green leaves, moss, or lichen)" ROSKVA knows a tree trunk has many lives. In its first, it supports the tree and moves food around inside. After it dies, it provides habitat and food for different animals and fungi. Eventually, it becomes part of the soil, where new life will grow. Roskva is the heaviest, hardest, and strongest of the trolls. Every day, Roskva climbs towards the sky, and every year she grows taller and wider. If a troll forgets something, they can always ask Roskva - she counts the seasons and remembers everything that happens around her. A more distant view of Roskva.
October 11, 2025 at 11:58 AM
fernleaf07.bsky.social
Cat in a box

#cat
Black and white cat in box in cabinet staring at viewer
September 27, 2025 at 2:30 PM
fernleaf07.bsky.social
Found in swamp environment in CT, USA

Possibly a mushroom?

#flora #mushroom
Black ball, size of golfball, with many irregular features all over the surface. Black ball, size of golf ball, with many irregular features all over the surface.
September 27, 2025 at 2:29 PM
fernleaf07.bsky.social
A Mushroom.

Aspetuck Land Trust, Weston, CT

Just after a rain.

#mushroom #fungifriends #mushrooms
A colony of mushrooms that have been eaten and highly disturb. Tops 3-4 inches across. About 3-4 inches tall. Biege-white flesh, toad stool shape. Not many complete specimens left. Mostly stalks and half eaten tops. Just after a rain. Has a glazed look on top. Close-up of mostly intact toad stools. Showing a bit of the underside of one specimen. Close-up of same specimen showing underside of cap. Showing white underside of cap.
September 7, 2025 at 8:45 PM
fernleaf07.bsky.social
Eastern American Toad, Anaxyrus americanus ssp. americanus

Aspectuck Land Trust, Weston, CT, USA

#amphibian #toad #frog
Back view of toad sitting on decaying log. Gray in color. Similar to log. Closer look at backside of toad. Camouflage has the look that the toad is has eyes in its back. Skin is slightly striped down back with various bumps, some gray, some white, some surround in black, some not. Closer look at backside of toad. Camouflage has the look that the toad is has eyes in its back. Skin is slightly striped down back with various bumps, some gray, some white, some surround in black, some not.
September 7, 2025 at 8:31 PM
fernleaf07.bsky.social
Fragrant fern, Dryopteris fragrans

Dr. Bailey has been studying this area for Dryopteris fragrans for 20 years. 20 years ago only a few specimens. 10 years ago 70 specimens. Now 65 specimens.

The rock face is a very popular rock area.

A paper has been published, but could not find it.
Fragrant fern with 'beard' of previous year's growth along wall of cliff on Rattlesnake mountain. Colony is staying moist even though there has been a drought. The crack the ferns are going in are fed from the rock itself. Dr Bailey has tested the water. It's pH is 6.5-7.5 where the normal runoff is 4.5. This may be a reason for the plants survival and expansion. Calcium levels are 3ppm. Fragrant fern with 'beard' of previous year's growth along wall of cliff on Rattlesnake mountain. Colony is staying moist even though there has been a drought. The crack the ferns are going in are fed from the rock itself. Dr Bailey has tested the water. It's pH is 6.5-7.5 where the normal runoff is 4.5. This may be a reason for the plants survival and expansion. Calcium levels are 3ppm. Fragrant fern with 'beard' of previous year's growth along wall of cliff on Rattlesnake mountain. Colony is staying moist even though there has been a drought. The crack the ferns are going in are fed from the rock itself. Dr Bailey has tested the water. It's pH is 6.5-7.5 where the normal runoff is 4.5. This may be a reason for the plants survival and expansion. Calcium levels are 3ppm. Underside of fragrant fern. Dense sporangia.
September 7, 2025 at 1:45 AM
fernleaf07.bsky.social
Weft fern, Crepidomanes intricatum

This is a gametophyte only fern.
Weft Fern. It is the dark green horizontal streak. Tiny plant, almost looks like lichen or moss. Weft Fern. It is the dark green horizontal streak. Tiny plant, almost looks like lichen or moss.
September 7, 2025 at 1:31 AM
fernleaf07.bsky.social
Had a great trip to Rattlesnake Mountain, White Mountain National Forest, Rumney, NH, USA

Sponsored by New England Botanical Society, lead by Dr. Scott Bailey

Vertical up and down on rock falls.

Highlight of trip was Dryopteris fragrans and Crepidomanes intricatum (Weft fern). #fern #ferns
September 7, 2025 at 1:20 AM
fernleaf07.bsky.social
An amateurish attempt to look inside the hole. Able to go in about 6-8 inches, 15-20cm.

Looks like hole was filled in, caved in, or blocked.
September 1, 2025 at 9:17 PM
fernleaf07.bsky.social
Cicada killer hole.

#nature #insect
Cicada killer hole on walkway. Closeup of third cicada killer hole. Cicada killer hole on walkway. Quiet the excavation.
September 1, 2025 at 9:11 PM
fernleaf07.bsky.social
A patch of Sensitive Fern, Onocela sensibilis, along the sidewalk in an unattended section.

#fern #ferns
Sensitive Fern, Onocela sensibilis. Short plants. Shaded by trees. Unattended sidewalk.
August 28, 2025 at 5:23 PM
fernleaf07.bsky.social
25Aug25 - Devastation

Ferns do well in the spring. Ferns have evolved to be understory plants as trees out competed the ferns for the sun.

This is not the first year of devastation. The ferns return next year.
Sensitive Fern Christmas Fern, not terrible. Other ferns burnt. Cinnamon Fern - in descent shape. All the Ostrich fern has burned tips. New growth under the tips. A single poke berry plant on right middle edge doing just fine.
August 25, 2025 at 11:15 PM
fernleaf07.bsky.social
Four o'clocks/Eight o'clocks, Maribilis jalapa. Cultivated.
CT USA 22:00

Open for the night insects.

#flowers #backyard
Picture of 'bush' of four o'clock at 22:00. White flowers. About half the flowers are open. About a meter high and meter wide. During the day all are closed. Closer view of white flowers. Closer view of white flowers.
August 10, 2025 at 3:01 AM
fernleaf07.bsky.social
Hart's Tongue. Asplenium scolopendruim. I see this plant posted frequently from UK posters.

The sightings of Hart's Tongue from iNaturalist.org
August 9, 2025 at 1:50 PM
fernleaf07.bsky.social
Onoclea sensibilis is a once-cut fern. This is a twice-cut fern.

I don't know the ferns of Japan. The picture looks like Marsh fern (Thelypteris palustris). On iNaturalist.org Marsh fern has been identified in Japan.

Below is a picture of Sensitive Fern on left.
Once-cut sensitive fern, Onocela sensibilis. Technically sensitive fern is between once-cut and twice-cut, called pinnatifid. The green fertile fronds are at the center of picture. They will get larger, turn brown, and winter over letting out the spores in the next spring.
August 8, 2025 at 10:51 PM
fernleaf07.bsky.social
Osmundastrum cinnamomeum or Matteuccia struthiopteris (Ostrich fern).

bsky.app/profile/fern...

Cinnamon fern fertile frond is cinnamon in color and comes out in mid to late spring.

Cinnamon fern has white tufts on the underside.
Cinnamon fern fertile frond. A single stalk with dense tiny round sporangia the color of cinnamon, where the fern gets its common name.
August 8, 2025 at 10:19 PM